The Fort
by runyoubadwolf
Summary: Marichat May Day 12 - Sleepover: When Chat Noir mentions that he's never had a sleepover, Marinette is determined to give him the best first sleepover ever. Out comes the best fort known to mankind.


"Wait you're telling me you've never had a sleepover before?" Marinette had been talking about a recent time when Alya had spent the night when Chat admitted he'd never had a sleepover with someone.

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "No, my dad is a little over protective. I didn't even start going to public school until this year." He knew there was a slight blush peeking out from below his mask. He was kind of embarrassed that he'd never spent the night at someone else's house.

"That's it, you're staying the night. I'm going to make sure you have the entire sleepover experience, as least how I do it anyway. First, we need a fort, I'll be right back." Marinette ran down the stairs, leaving a shell-shocked Chat Noir in her wake.

After a few moments, a pile of fabric was thrown through the trap door, several pillows followed. He heard a whispered yell come from below which snapped him out of the stunned state Marinette had left him in. "Chat, you're going to need to help pull the couch cushions through. They're too wide to just slide in." A couch cushion was suddenly protruding from the floor as Chat scrambled towards it. He made sure to be careful with his claws as he grasped the cushion, pulling from the top while Marinette pushed from the bottom.

Soon there was a pile of four couch cushions sitting next to Chat by the door. He was actually kind of winded. Who knew pulling cushions through a door would be more tiring than vaulting through Paris. Marinette poked her head through her trapdoor, her voice still in a whisper. "Now we need snacks. You'll probably need to recharge your transformation at some point tonight, is there anything you need?"

"Some sort of cheese please. Camembert is preferred but any cheese or cheese product will do. By the way, yes, I would love to have a sleepover."

Marinette's face turned red when she realized she hadn't given him a chance to accept her invitation. "I'm sorry! I was just so excited. I didn't mean to pretty much force you into a sleepover. Only stay if you want to." Her eyes were wide as she looked at him.

"I do want to have a sleepover Marinette, I'm excited too. I thought I'd never spend the night at anyone's house if I'm being honest.

Marinette laughed. "Alright, I'll be back with snacks and cheese. Will you drop all this over by my desk please." She pointed to the pillows and blankets as she began to descend the stairs.

He gave her a little salute before her head disappeared. "Will do Princess." Chat lugged all the blankets and pillows Marinette had brought up near her desk. The last time he'd made a pillow fort had been with his mom, he couldn't bring himself to do it alone once she was gone. Chat was happy the first one he'd build in years would be with Marinette.

"Alright kitty, let's get down to business." He turned to see Marinette with her arms loaded with more junk food than he'd ever been allowed to eat in his entire life. It was safe to say; Chat Noir was thrilled. Marinette dumped the goodies in her arms onto her chaise and turned back towards him. "Are you ready to build the best pillow fort known to mankind?" The cat boy eagerly shook his head yes. "Then hand me that sheet on top."

When Chat picked up the sheet he noticed small holes had been made in the corners. He tossed it to Marinette who was now standing at the far wall next to one of the slanted support beams to her room. She unfolded the sheet and slipped one of the holes onto a hook that he'd failed to notice every other time he'd visited her. After stretching the fabric to the adjacent wall, she let it drop, effectively covering half of her desk. "Wow, you must take fort building seriously if you had hooks installed for this. You must be 'hooked' on making forts Princess."

Marinette let out a groan at his pun. "Instead of making puns, can you please grab that pink sheet and do the same thing I just did to cover the other half of the desk?" She pointed to the sheet she was speaking of while she walked towards her closet.

"Anything for you Princess. Though, I never 'pegged' you as the controlling type." He laughed at her huff of disproval as he hooked the second sheet into place. Marinette's desk was successfully covered and the corner of her room already felt cozier. "Now what am I doing Mari?"

She pointed at a blue sheet. "That one is going to be the ceiling. Hook three of the corners to the hooks." He didn't think there was a sheet in existence big enough to hook onto all three places at once. Chat realized he was right as well when he saw stitching in the middle to combine two different sheets. "You know, I was kidding before because I wanted to make those puns but you really are serious about forts. You made a giant sheet for the soul purpose of being a roof!"

She walked back over to help latch the third corner into place. "I've been perfecting my fort technique for years. When you just use furniture, the ceiling is too low. The solution is to hook it higher. When a single big sheet is used, there isn't enough room for two people to be comfortable at once. The solution is to make a bigger sheet." She shrugged her shoulders as though it was no big deal. "I think they're fun and cozy, perfect for snuggling." Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd said. "N-not that I plan on c-cuddling someone in one a-anytime soon. I-it's just a n-nice thought for the f-future."

Chat didn't understand why the thought of cuddling Marinette in the fort made him blush. It's not like it was going to happen or anything, she was making that very clear. She clapped her hands together a little too loudly which snapped Chat out of his thoughts. "Okay, back to the fort."

"Yes, the fort. What are we doing now?" Better to change the subject, he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or anything. Even though Chat didn't mind the idea of fort cuddles in the slightest.

"Now we're building out. You can arrange the couch cushions and pillows while I pin together a few sheets for the outer walls." She waved the little pin cushion of needles at him.

"What? No more sewn together sheets?" He smirked up at her as he sat on the ground to start arranging the interior of the half-built fort.

"Not yet. Maman said that if I wanted to sew anymore sheets together I had to get them myself. Soon though, I hope. Pre-sewn sheets for the outside would cut down on build time." If that was the case, maybe some sheets would just happen to be on Marinette's balcony within the next few days. "Oh, I almost forgot! I recommend shoving some of the pillows under the desk, they make it more comfortable to lean against. I also tend to stack a few comforters and blankets on the couch cushions."

"That's exactly what I was thinking about doing. Great minds do think alike Princess." He sent her a wink that she rolled her eyes at but he though he saw her blush faintly. Maybe he was just imagining it. The two set to work on their projects; Chat taking Marinette's tips into consideration as he applied the fort building skills he acquired from his mom while Marinette used her sewing skills to securely pin sheets together.

He lost some of his light as Marinette climbed to her loft and draped one of the pinned together sheet sets on the slanted support beam next to him. He was pretty much done and after a few more pillow adjustments, climbed out to see if Marinette needed any help. It was lucky he climbed out when he did because a moment later he caught a falling Marinette who was very obviously frustrated. "Ugh, I hate being short. I can't reach the beam on my own." She huffed out a breath that ruffled her bangs. He may have found the action unbelievably adorable.

He laughed a bit. "Don't worry about it, that's what I'm here for Princess. What else would your Knight in shining leather be for?" He wiggles his eyebrows at her which pulled a laugh from her lips.

"Honestly, I always need someone to help me but it never stops me from trying. Normally Alya will leave some of the pillows bellow my loft so I don't break something." The image of her stubbornly avoiding asking for help flashed through his mind. He laughed as he set her down, realizing he'd still been holding her through their conversation.

He clapped his hands together, similarly to what she'd done earlier. "Alright, let's get this wall up!" The two teens climbed up to the loft where the pinned sheets sat in a pile. Marinette picked up the crumpled fabric and turned to him.

There was a slight blush dusting her freckled cheeks as she spoke. "So, um, Alya normally holds onto me while I lean over." His blush probably mirrored hers as he realized he'd be holding onto her hips.

"Oh, o-okay. I-I can do that." He gave her a reassuring smile before she turned and began to lean out once more. Chat held her hips firmly so she could reach over far enough place the sheet on the beam. Chat's face was flaming and he could see Marinette's ears were red, which probably meant her face was as well. She wrapped the sheets over the beam, making sure it wasn't in jeopardy of slipping. He pulled her back to the loft and made sure her feet were firmly planted on the ground before removing his hands. Maybe that was just an excuse to hold Marinette a little longer.

"A-alright! The fort is officially ready! Now it's junk food and movie time!" Her voice was bright, almost forcibly so, and her face was just as red as he thought it'd be. "Do you want to recharge before we get comfortable?" He nodded his head at her question. "Okay, you can use the bathroom, there are cheese danishes with the food. I'll meet you in the fort so I can get everything else set up."

"Sounds good Princess." A few minutes later Adrien Agreste was sitting in Marinette's bathroom with a very hungry kwami. A kwami who was eating three cheese danishes at once.

"I'm all for you spending the night at your girlfriend's house if I get more of these danishes, they're amazing! You should come here more often."

"S-she's not my girlfriend Plagg. Just a friend." His kwami gave him a look that said 'mhmm sure' then chuckled. "Come one Plagg, you know I like Ladybug."

"Sure kid, sure." Plagg rolled his eyes as he polished off his last piece of danish. "Alright, I'll be able to hold out until morning but make sure you get more of those danishes before you leave in the morning."

Adrien promised his kwami before transforming. "Claws out." Chat Noir was standing in Marinette's bathroom once more. When he got back to Marinette's room he heard her muffled voice within the fort ask him to turn out the lights. When he clicked them off he saw small dots of light illuminating the fort from within.

He lifted the flap of sheet near Marinette's stairs and stepped inside. "Welcome to your very first sleepover Chat Noir." Marinette gestured around the space as Chat took it all in. The light was coming from a star projector positioned behind her laptop which he assumed had a movie up ready to be played. The snacks Marinette had brought up were divided up on either side of the places they'd be sitting, one of those places already filled by Marinette.

Chat couldn't wipe the stupid, giddy smile off his face as he plopped down next to Marinette. "Thank you for this Marinette. I can't tell you how much this means to me."

Marinette returned his beaming smile with one of her own. "I'm happy I could do this for you kitty and I have to say, this is the most comfortable the fort has ever been arranged. You must teach me your ways."

"My mom and I used to make forts together before she left. It's been years but I'm glad to know I still have the magic touch of pillow arranging." Her smile became tinged with sadness for him as she layed a hand against his covered arm. He wanted the night to be filled with happiness so he changed the subject. "So, what are we watching?"

She must have realized what he was doing because she didn't press the topic further. "Love Actually. I hope you don't mind rom-coms, they're the only ones I have right now." She looked nervous as though he wouldn't want to watch anything she picked out.

"That sounds good. Romance anime are my favorite so I don't see why rom-coms would be any different. Maybe I can learn a thing or two since my anime flirting hasn't ever gotten me anywhere." Marinette looked slightly stunned. "Mari? Are you okay?" Maybe he shouldn't have told her he used anime flirting techniques, maybe she thought it was weird.

He saw her visibly snap out of whatever thought she'd been in as she shook her head slightly. "Y-yeah I'm fine. Let's get this party started." She leaned forward, pressed play on the movie, then settled back to get comfortable. Chat was enthralled, he never thought he'd be getting dating advice from Liam Neeson. There were a few times when Marinette tried to start up conversation but he shushed her, eyes still glued to the screen.

When the credits finally rolled, he wanted to see more. "I think rom-com might be my new favorite genre. What else do you have?" With a laugh, she showed him the rest of her collection. Halfway through the second movie they ran out of snacks. Halfway through the third Marinette was asleep on his shoulder. Halfway through the fourth Chat closed the laptop and slid it away with a yawn.

Chat awoke to a dim fort and a sleeping girl in his arms, a sleeping Marinette. It felt as though she fit perfectly against him, he never wanted to leave that spot. He didn't know when he'd fallen asleep or what had woken him.

He knew the answer to the later when he heard a soft female voice calling out. "Tom, you have to come look at this. Our daughter's cuddling a superhero, it's adorable."

Chat didn't really want to confront Marinette's parents quite yet so he pretended to still be asleep as one of the sheet walls was pulled back. "Ah so this must be why she hasn't been talking about Adrien as much recently. Another blond with green eyes? I think our daughter had a type Sabine." The snort in reply that Marinette's mom gave made Marinette stir slightly.

The sleeping girl pressed her face deeper into his chest and sleepily mumbled. "Just five more minutes mon chaton, five more minutes." She breathed in deeply as though she was breathing his scent in." Her parents giggled quietly at the nickname but Chat was too touched to even notice. She'd called him her's and it felt so right. When had he fallen in love with Marinette?

He didn't care that her parents were standing right there, he held her tighter. "My princess." A tired sigh escaped her as he breathed out the words.

"Please tell me you already got pictures of this? We're going to need them for the slideshow at their wedding."

"Way ahead of you Tom. I got close ups of the cheesy smiles on their faces too." He heard a loud high five that must have cut through Marinette's sleep as well. She quickly jolted out of his grasp and stared at her parents with wide eyes.

"Maman, Papa, um, hi." She gave a small, nervous wave to her parents which they returned with smirks on their faces. "Um, you've met Chat Noir." He also gave a nervous wave that they returned with those same smirks. "Um, you see, my friend Chat here comes to hang out sometimes and last night he mentioned he'd never had a sleepover before so I made him stay. Um, sorry for not asking first."

Chat could tell Tom was trying not to laugh as he spoke. "Your friend huh? I don't think I've ever seen you cuddle Alya like that when she stays over."

"You know Tom, I don't think I've ever heard Marinette and Alya using pet names like 'mon chaton' or 'my princess' either." At Marinette's mortified look, her parents succumbed to their laughter.

As the laughter peeled out of her parents, Marinette leaned over to Chat. "Did you really say that I was your princess? As in yours only?" She looked up at him in what Chat could only describe as hope.

"That I did my princess. Did you mean to say mon chaton?" He met her gaze with the same hopeful look.

"Yes, mon chaton, I did." She took his hand in her own as they looked at each other. Their moment was interrupted by a camera click.

"Perfect, another one for the slideshow. Come on Chat Noir, our daughter's new boyfriend is staying for breakfast. Tom's making crepes."

"I'm in, I absolutely love crepes. Can I have a few cheese danishes first though?" He pulled Marinette up by their clasped hands. He pulled her with him as he followed her parents to the door, Marinette asking about what slideshow they were talking about the whole way.


End file.
